Say No To Gas Bombs
by UnpredictablyRandomOne
Summary: Several years ago, Tony began working on a special kind of bomb but stopped when he didn't like the results. Now, when he can't sleep, he decides to give it another go. Why do these things always happen to Steve? One-Shot Rated T cause I'm paranoid


This is just something that I would love to see! I will update Sky-Diving To Tony's Island soon but I really wanted to post this. Please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters as you all should know and I am not making any money out of this. Hopefully I do get some reviews though, please?

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"You only have two minutes to decide Captain, who are you going to save?"

Captain America was an honorable man, a man who understood the difference between right and wrong. He had been through hell and back more times that he wished to remember. He had survived close encounters with death and watched his friends do the same, there was only so much a man could take! Yet, here he was again in a dire situation. He looked at the screen once more, looking at the unsuspecting victims in their rooms. They were both members of his team, he couldn't possibly decide between the two.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked with a tremor in his voice. There had to be something he could do to save them both, he would trade places with either one, no hesitation on his part but that wasn't possible. He had to choose who would be spared a cruel fate: Natasha or Bruce.

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12 hours before

_Why me, always me_. Thought Steve as he made his way downstairs towards Tony's lab. He had woken up to what felt like an earthquake until JARVIS had informed him it was just an explosion. Of course, that only served to make Steve worry more. Quickly, he put on a pair of sweats and tshirt before making his way to the source of said explosion, hoping to find the madman in one piece. Stopping at the door, he noticed the room had been completely filled with smoke.

"Tony!" He punched in his code and the door opened with a swoosh, allowing the smoke to start making its way out. "JARVIS, clear the room!" The ventilation system started and little by little the room began to clear. Steve stopped coughing and spotted Tony sitting down in the far corner, also coughing and covered in some kind of foam. Making his way towards him, Steve wasn't sure what to expect but Tony crying was definitely not one of them. Kneeling before the Iron Man, Steve asked him what had happened. Knowing that if it had made him cry, it had to be something serious, something devastating. After a few minutes of silence, aside from Tony's whimpers, he couldn't take it anymore. Steve stood up and walked around the lab to see if he could figure out what the hell had happened but everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as things could be with a genius.

"It worked." Steve looked back at Tony with a questioning gaze. Why would he be crying if something had worked? Tears of joy coming from Tony just didn't seem possible. Making his way to the weeping man once more, he noticed a slight grin on his face.

"What the hell happened, Tony? I hear something explode, find the lab filled with smoke then I see you crying and you're grinning now? What is wrong with you?" Was it really too much to ask for a regular day? After accepting to become a super soldier, he knew things wouldn't always be normal but this was getting ridiculous. Being a member in a team of superheroes shouldn't be this bad, right?

"Well, techinally the smoke was first then five minutes later the explosion, I need to work out some kinks but it worked, Steve! It really worked!" Before the captain could say anything, he was engulfed in a tight hug. He tensed. Nothing was making any sense, maybe he was still dreaming? That seemed like the only logical explanation to this weird experience.

"Tony, will you please tell me what is going on?" He was worried. Sure, Tony seemed physically fine but that didn't explain anything. The explosion, the smoke, the tears or the way he was still being hugged. Finally, after what felt like quite some time, he was released. Not sure of what to do next, he just stayed in his spot, wiping away some of the foam that had stuck to him while Tony went back to his desk. "Tony?"

"Sorry, I'm sure this looks bad but I can guarantee that everything is fine. Actually, everythings is better than fine, it's perfect!" He sang. If Steve was worried before, now he was on the verge of panic. This was bad. Something bad which would lead to something worse.

"Damn it, Stark!" He hadn't meant to shout but he was quickly losing control of whatever was keeping him calm. Tony looked back at him with an understanding smile before going up to him.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just got a little too excited and didn't think about how you would feel. Here, take a seat and I'll explain everything." Every muscle in Steve's body tensed. This was wrong, so very wrong. This wasn't Tony but then, who was he? Silently, he made his way to the chair and sat down. He had to find out what was going on and listening seemed to be the better option before beating someone up. "I couldn't sleep last night so I made my way down here to do anything, really. I decided on running a general analysis of nature, you know, just to see if something interesting came up which might lead to something else but nothing happened. So I tried astronomy but that didn't help either which made me a bit upset. I didn't want to get upset but I did which only made me wonder why I had gotten upset in the first place which, of course, made no sense whatsoever."

Steve continued to stare. He wasn't sure exactly what Tony was saying anymore but didn't dare interrupt. What he was gathering, was that he'd been bored and then...what?

"That's when it hit me, I could continue working on a special gas bomb which messes with the psyche or better yet, emotions. I had started working on this several years ago just for fun but stopped. I'm not sure why I stopped but it must have been a good reason. I'm sorry, that was incredibly rude of me, are you understanding what I'm explaining?" He looked patiently at Steve which only confirmed, this was not Tony.

"I understand. I was just so worried about you and-" His eyes widened. That wasn't what he was going to say.

"Speak freely Steve, I'm not here to judge or make you feel bad so please, talk away." The way he was so understanding completely freaked Steve out. Maybe he was dreaming and this was some twisted nightmare.

"Why are you being so nice?" Well, that was the best way he could ask what the hell was wrong with him. Maybe he should call Bruce down to fix whatever was wrong with Tony.

"I know I haven't been easy to live with and I'm really sorry for constantly butting heads with you. I do want you to know that I completely admire you and everything you've accomplished. I think one of the reasons I argue with you so much is because I'm jealous." Steve blinked. Had he just heard Tony not only apologize but admit to being jealous? Of him? If he didn't know any better he'd think Tony was drunk and spilling all his deep hidden secrets. That thought made him feel a bit guilty. Here he was listening to his confessions instead of trying to help him get back to normal. It felt like he was invading Tony's mind against his will.

"It's okay, I've kind of gotten used to it and I've accepted you but that's besides the point, we need to get you back to your normal self, how do we do that?" He'd accepted him? What was wrong with his mouth? He also really wanted to know what else Tony kept to himself but this wasn't right. He wouldn't want somebody taking advantage of him in this type of situation and knew Tony wouldn't appreciate it either. He should probably call Bruce now but didn't want to risk Tony saying something he'd regret later.

"No, it's not ok and I realize that now. You see, the reason I'm jealous is because you got to know my father in a way I never did. He would always talk about you with so much pride and I couldn't help but want to be better than you. Now that I got to meet and know you, I can see that I'll never reach those expectations. You're a greater man than I'll ever be and I can see why my dad liked you better." Steve could literally feel his heart break. This wasn't what he'd been expecting to hear, ever. His throat tightened and he couldn't speak. This was the way Tony really felt, deep inside and he couldn't make it all better with some simple words. But he was sure going to try.

"He didn't like me better. I was an experiment, I was a job to your father. Sure, we got along but he was proud of his accomplishment, not of me personally. He would always talk about his plans for the future and how successful he'd be, how he would one day change the world. And you know what, he did. He had an incredible family, one I'm sure he loved deeply and a son who saves lives. I can guarantee you that Howard would be so proud of you today." Steve froze. He had never said that to anyone. Where were these words coming from? He wasn't one for pep talks either. At least, not heart to heart talks. "I'm not usually this talkative."

Tony smiled. "You were in here for awhile before the smoke managed to clear up, I guess it got to you too. Don't worry, you were only here for a few minutes so it should wear off within a few hours." He took Steve's hand in his and looked him straight in the eyes which made Steve turn bright red. "Thank you Steve, you have no idea what that means to me. You're a good friend." Not sure of what to say or do, Steve just nodded. "You know, this has helped us so much already. Maybe I should try it on someone else to make sure it works properly." Steve immediately stood up. This was already awkward enough without involving the rest of the team.

"No, I think you should wait until after the effects wear off, then you can think about it again." By the time he was back to normal, he'd realize how crazy this whole thing is and hopefully just drop it. "How long until it wears off?" He had only inhaled for no more than two minutes and it was only suppose to last a few hours, Tony had inhaled who knows how much.

"I should be back to normal sometime tonight at the latest but I really think we should try it on someone else. JARVIS, who else is here?" Tony stood up and walked over to his desk before getting back to work.

"Doctor Banner is on his way to a conference, Miss Romanoff and Mister Barton are still away on a mission and Thor is with Miss Foster. They should be back sometime today."

Steve let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. This was the first good thing to happen since he had woken up, maybe things would start looking up now.

"Great, that means I have time to make some more gas bombs." Or maybe not.

"Tony, let's just go out for a walk and enjoy the day. It's actually quite beautiful outside." He mentally cringed. This was not him, this was just the stupid drugs messing with his brain. He could only hope he'd forget this ever happened after it wore off. Something occured to him then. If he was aware of what he was saying and doing but couldn't do anything to stop, was Tony in the same predicament? Well, this was awkward.

"Is it? Maybe you have a point, let's go get some breakfast then we can go and explore the different parts of the city you haven't seen yet. We could even go dancing!" He walked out of his lab to get ready leaving a stunned captain behind. This was definitely going to be awkward afterwards.

* * *

"And then the mime locked you up in a box!" Tony laughed. "I wasn't sure how he could have gotten you in the first place but I knew he wouldn't be able to hold you, you're super strong!" They day had been exactly what Steve feared. Awkward. His outside self seemed to have fun for the first few hours, skipping and singing whatever songs he knew along with Tony but inside, he wanted to die. He was Captain America, he didn't skip in dance! He could see the people staring at them, probably thinking they were drunk out of their minds but he couldn't stop. Well, until a little after three when he felt a jolt shoot through his body and he was back. Immediately he felt himself sinking back, trying to hide himself from the rest of the population. He had acted like a teenage girl on drugs. Nobody would ever respect him again. "And then when you took that old man's cane? I thought for sure he was going to beat you!" Steve sighed. Tony was still not back to normal.

"Welcome back gentlemen, I trust you had a fun outing?" Please don't ask was all Steve could think. He really didn't want to remember what had happened.

"We did indeed, JARVIS. You should have seen us, we were kids again. No worrying about saving the world, nobody trusting us to make everything perfect, no stress at all! We danced in the middle of the street until the police told us to stop." Tony danced around with glee. This was something Steve hoped to never see again. Not because he was slightly embarrassed but because he had seen a side of Tony that pained him too much. He now realized just how much hurt he was hiding behind his snobbish exterior. There must be some way he could help his friend, a way not involving brain messing drugs. Or dancing. Definitely no more dancing even though Tony was great at it.

"That is great sir. You should like to know, Doctor Banner and Miss Romanoff have returned and are each in their rooms." Steve froze. Oh no. He looked over at Tony with a worried gaze, he should be starting to come off his high soon enough, right? Steve wouldn't be able to handle anybody else's hidden personality.

"That's good. Well, I'm tired and will be heading to my room for a shower and a much needed nap. Thank you for a wonderful day, Captain." And just like that, Steve was left alone in the room. He fell back into the couch and let out a sigh. This had been the longest day of his life and it was barely a bit past six. Closing his eyes for a few minutes, he felt himself finally starting to relax when he heard a giggle from somewhere. Snapping his eyes open, he quickly stood up.

"JARVIS, where's Tony?" He asked starting to head to the lab.

"I'm sorry but he has asked me not to share his location." Steve groaned. He should have known better than to just think everything would be ok. Tony was still Tony, no matter how messed up in the head.

"Captain America, if you will please make your way to the computer across the room, I would trully appreciate it." Steve looked around but couldn't find where the voice was coming from. He knew it was Tony but had no idea where he was. He made his way to the master computer and noticed the screen was divided in half. One half showed Bruce reading a book in his room and the other had Natasha...stretching? He felt heat rise to his face and quickly turned away. She would kill him just for looking at her, even though he'd had no part in whatever Tony was planning. "I am set to gas one of them but I can't decide which one so who do you think I should experiment on?" This was not happening.

"Tony, don't do anything stupid. Just leave them alone and let's talk about this before you kill someone. And since when do our rooms have cameras?" He felt violated. He was suppose to feel safe in his room, not worry about being spied on. Damn. Why did this have to happen to him? Why couldn't it have happened to Clint or Bruce or even Thor?

"I installed them while you were taking a shower this morning. I also set one up in Clint and Thor's room. And nobody is going to die, it's a harmless gas that helps one be somebody they wish they could be without worrying about what people might think. Did I forget to mention it wears off after a few hours? Come on Captain, surely you must be curious to see the real Bruce and Natasha so, who do you want to see more?" This would not end well, either Bruce would hulk out and attack out of anger or Natasha would kill both of them when she snapped out of it. Maybe if he stalled long enough, the real Tony would wake up and this would all be over.

"I don't know who I would prefer, let me think about it." Steve prayed to every deity he could think of to help him get through this.

"You only have two minutes to decide Captain, who are you going to save?"

Captain America was an honorable man, a man who understood the difference between right and wrong. He had been through hell and back more times that he wished to remember. He had survived close encounters with death and watched his friends do the same, there was only so much a man could take! Yet, here he was again in a dire situation. He looked at the screen once more, looking at the unsuspecting victims in their rooms. They were both members of his team, he couldn't possibly decide between the two.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked with a tremor in his voice. There had to be something he could do to save them both, he would trade places with either one, no hesitation on his part but that wasn't possible. He had to choose who would be spared a cruel fate: Natasha or Bruce.

"It's just for fun, don't get your undies in a bunch." Tony sighed and went up to join Steve. "You make it sound like somebody's going to die, can't you just relax and have a little bit of fun?" Steve turned and rushed to Tony who was holding some kind of remote.

"This isn't a game, Tony! Do you think I liked acting like a child in front of people who trust me with their safety? This- this chemical is dangerous for several reasons, if it was to fall in the wrong hands it could be used to extract important information from important people. Can't you see that?"

"Did I miss something?" Steve and Tony turned to see Clint in the doorway. "Is there something dangerous that needs to be stopped, again?" Before either one could reply, Steve noticed Tony tense. He saw the way he looked away from them before clearing his throat.

"Nope, everything is absolutely fine. Steve is just being paranoid like he always is, no surprise there." Tony clapped Steve's back like nothing had happened but there had been a slight hesitation. He was back. Steve couldn't help but smile in relief, it was all over.

"Alrighty then. Carry on with whatever you two were doing, I guess." Clint said not believing them but let it go not seeing anything dangerous happening at the moment. He started making his way to the elevator when the doors opened and Natasha came out. "Hey, Nat." He said casually moving past her when she grabbed his arm and kissed him hard on the lips before he could react.

"I always wanted to try that and now I have. You're a great kisser, Clint, we should do that more often." She winked at him before giggling and heading towards the kitchen. "Hey Captain Sexy, Iron Buns."

The room froze when they felt a slight tremor. Steve glared at Tony who looked down at the remote in his hands.

"Oops."

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haha I enjoyed writing this so I really hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did or have any comments, please let me know. Thanks!


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